Sleep is a vast subject! And in it, there are ample questions that need to get addressed. For instance, the concept of REM sleep is an interesting stage and has several interesting facts to discover. In fact, the term got coined after the Rapid Eye Movement (REM). Simply put, this sleep stage is less rapid than when you stay awake.
During REM sleep, our eyes follow PGO waves, and the waves start in the brain stem. According to theory, PGO waves get engaged in creating fast eye movements. It begins precisely the time before people get into the REM sleep stage. There’s a point when all these eye movements got associated with vision within a dream. REM sleep is one that is characterized by vivid dreams. It is interesting to note that blind people also have a REM sleep stage.
There are many ways to identify a REM sleep stage! It helps the muscle movement to get suppressed a sleep stage. Here the brain activity can get increased instead of other sleep stages. There are chances of your fingers or face getting twitched. However, the primary voluntary muscle group stays relaxed. To know more about this, you can browse and learn about REM sleep – facts and theories.
Important and interesting facts
Some of the essential facts about the REM sleep stage include the following:
- You get vivid dreams in REM sleep– We all spend close to two hours dreaming every night. Likely, we might not remember the dream. Most humans dream in every stage of their dream. Some people dream seeing colors during REM sleep, and some people dream in black and white.
- The brain continues to see – When you make eye-movements in the REM sleep stage, there can be fresh images forming in your mind. It indicates that your brain might still be engaged in eye movements trying to visualize something. The process is similar when a person is awake. Hence, even though one is dreaming, they are still looking at various things.
- Sometimes legs and arms do get paralyzed – It secures you from acting the dreams. It is because, during REM sleep, the dreams are indeed very vivid.
- Alcohol can take away your REM sleep – Nightcaps don’t promote good sleep! However, it might help you to sleep fast. However, the sleep quality can be questionable. And a disturbed night sleep can be the outcome of excess drinking right before bedtime. Alcohol can negatively impact your sleep cycle. One of the main reasons for feeling tired in the morning might be the REM sleep stage. Similar to deep sleep, often REM sleep is known as a restorative sleep stage.
These are some critical aspects related to REM sleep that you need to know! And if you want to correct your sleep cycle, you can resort to a mattress that promotes best sleep and sleeping posture as well. The market is replete with many. You can choose the ones based on your requirements and budget capacity. It is essential to ensure that the mattress has an apt amount of firmness and softness.